Steam-engine.



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".I. C. SPEIRS.

STEAM ENGINE.

(.Apvplicntion med Hay 7. 1900.)

ums Pezns m Motown-m, wAsnmn Patented Apr. 9, |9o|.

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@f www gf UNITED STATT-3s ATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. SPEIRS, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE LOCOMOBILE COMPANY OF AMERICA, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 671,783, dated April 9, 1901.

Application filed May '7, 1900. Serial No. 15,723. tNo model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Bridgeport, in the county of Faireld and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and-useful Improvements in Two-Cylinder Engines, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to the construction of the cylinder and steam-chest of a two-cylinder steam-engine.

It consists in the improvements which I shall now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical sectional view, partly in front elevation, showing parts of an engine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 represents a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a side elevation.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

1 is the frame, and 2 2 are the cylinders, of a two-cylinder double-acting steam-engine.

The lower Working parts of the engine are omitted, as they do not particularly relate to the present invention.

It is common practice to cast the cylinder and steam-chest of a steam-engine in one piece and to provide a removable plate forming one wall of the steam-chest, whereby access may be had to the interior thereof. It is also common practice to combine the two valve-chests of a two-cylinder engine in one valve or steam-chest, and to cast this integrally with the cylinders, leaving one side of the steam-chest open to give access to its interior,and covering this side with a removable plate. I propose in accordance with my present invention to dispense with the removable cover-plate and make a one-piece steam-chest separate from the two cylinders and serving to unite the two, and, furthermore, to form suitable valve-guides Within said chest for the valves pertaining to the respective cylinders.

The cylinders 2 2 are mounted side by side, and the walls are formedV with suitable inlet and exhaust passages or ports 3 4. Said cylinders are planed fiat o n the side Where the outer openings of the ports or passages 3 4 occur.

5 is a steam-chest interposed between the cylinders 2 2 and cast in asingle piece. The Be it known that I, JOHN C. SPEIRS, of

faces of the steam-chest 5 which lie against the cylinders 2 2 are planed flat to make a close fit- With said cylinders, and the steamchest is secured to the respective cylinders by means of .screws 6 6 passing through flanges 7 8, formed, respectively, on the steam-chest and cylinders.

In connection with this construction I prefer to employ piston-valves 9. The steamchest 5 is formed internally with valve-guides 10, in which the valves 9 reciprocate, said guides being open at both ends, so as to balance the valve by the steam-pressure and to provide entrance-passages for the steam. The steam-chest is formed with annular entrance ports or passages 11 11, communicating with the cylinder entrance-passages 3 3 and adapted to be uncovered when the valves move to either end of their stroke. The steam-chest is furthermore formed with an exhaust port or passage 12, communicating with the cylinder exhaust-passage 4: and adapted to be come connected with the annular passages 11 by a suitable movement of the Valves.

At one end of the steam-chest 5 are formed threaded openings 13, into which are screwed the glands or stuffing-boxes 14 for the valvestems 15, said openings being preferably slightly larger than the diameter of the valves 9 in order to permit said valves to be removed and inserted and also to allow for the boring of the valve-guides 10. In the opposite end of the steam-chest are formed similar threaded openings 16, into one of which the steampipe 17 may be screwed, the other being preferably closed bya screw-plug 18. The openings 16 are preferably located in line with the valve-guides l0 and may be of slightlylarger diameter than the valves 9, so that they also may be used to introduce or remove the valves and to permit the boring of the valve-guides.

By forming all of the openings 1316 of equal diameter and with similar screw-threads the valve-chest shown in the'drawings is made completely reversible. It may be turned end for end and the glands 14 screwed into the openings 16, while the steam-pipe and plug are screwed into the openings 13. It may also be reversed as to its planed faces. This IOO reversibility merely requires that the portopenings, bolt-holes, &c., shall be disposed symmetrically on opposite sides of the median planes of the valve-chest. It is of advantage in assembling and repairing and in cases of unequal wear of parts on the two sides or ends of the valve-chest to have the same reve-rsible.

I claim- In an engine, the combination of two cylinders set side by side and having suitable steam-passages formed in their Walls, a steamchest made separate from the two cylinders and secured thereto by suitable means, said chest having steam-passages formed in it and communicating with the steam-passages of the cylinders, and also having internal valveguides formed integrally with it, two pistonvalves operating in said guides and controlling the steam-passages of the respective cylinders, threaded openings of larger diameter than said valves formed in the end walls of the valve-chest in line with the two ends of each guide, glands for the valve-stems screwed into the said openings at one end, and a steam-pipe and a threaded member screwed into the said openings at the opposite end, the valve-chest being constructed symmetrically as to its described parts on opposite sides of its median planes.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presenceof two witnesses.

JOHN C. SPEIRS. Witnesses:

E. BATOHELDER, H. L. RoBBINs. 

